The Grammys Are Coming To Jamaica! Air Jamaica Jazz

KINGSTON, JAMAICA – The Grammys are coming to Jamaica! On Thursday, January 25- Saturday, January 27, five Grammy winners, accounting for 12 of those iconic victrola statuettes between them, will be performing at the 10th Annual Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival: The Art of Music at the Aqueduct on Rose Hall in Montego Bay, Jamaica. An eclectic gathering of established legends and new favorites will perform during the 2007 Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, including Michael Bolton, Kenny Rogers, Shaggy, NEWA, Christopher Cross, Monty Alexander, Pieces of A Dream and Cyndi Lauper.

Recognizing the growing attendance and the continued need for an inspired venue, event organizer Turn Key Productions has moved the festival to a new seaside location and announced an ambitious U.S. amateur talent search competition. While remaining in Rose Hall, the festival will move from the driving range at the Cinnamon Hill Golf Course to a seaside clearing in between the ocean and the 8th fairway, using the ruins of an ancient aqueduct as a backdrop.

Walter Elmore, Turn Key Productions Chief, is more excited about this years festival than perhaps any other. The Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival has a special aura to it unlike any other event that Ive produced or experienced. It is a combination of the musicians, the people, the setting and the infectious vibe of Jamaica that create an almost spiritual experience for anyone who attends this event. I am absolutely looking forward to this January and plan to blow away the minds of each and every attendee!

The Art of Reggae
Built into this years format will be a special tribute to reggae, the music intrinsic to the island nation of Jamaica. A special Art of Reggae performance featuring Shaggy, Luciano, Freddie MacGregor, Wayne Wonder and some more of the biggest legends of reggae will join together with an all-star band to perform all of their greatest hits. David Shields, Deputy Director of Tourism for the Jamaica Tourist Board, was especially excited about this segment of the festival, commenting, Reggae is so vital to the identity of Jamaican people, our spirit and our culture. It is an art form that has traveled around the world and introduced the world to Jamaica and Jamaican people. It is one of our great ambassadors to the world and we look forward to celebrating it at the 10th Annual Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival.

deMercado said Air Jamaica is delighted to continue to be the title sponsor of the festival which attracted more than 40,000 people last year. “It was eminently successful. We had more people than we knew what do with. This year we have a magnificent new venue at Rose Hall which will be transformed into a truly amazing stage and I have no doubt that the success that we’ve been able to achieve over the years is going to be surpassed in 2007,” said deMercado.

David Shields, Jamaica’s Deputy Director of Tourism, added that over the past 10 years, the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival has contributed to the cultural fabric of Jamaica. He observed that 52 percent of those surveyed at this year’s event were repeat attendees and 92 percent indicated that they would like to return. He thanked Turnkey Productions for their professionalism, and tour operators for their contribution to Jamaica’s growth in visitor arrivals this year.